Amir Johnson = Very Underrated

If there's a poll on who's the MVP of this team so far, i would say it's a tie between Jose and Amir.

Amir Johnson has been that impressive this year. I always think of him as a more skilled, bigger version of JYD. This guy just gives his 100% every time he's on the floor, great rebounder, great defender, great teammate, and has really improved his offensive part of his game.

Like i said before, the only thing i hate about him is his jersey number. I don't think anyone should be wearing #15.

I was never a fan, but the dude has grown on me. He just keeps improving. He has been staying on the floor, not like past seasons and has been a key part of this teams defensive identity. His offense aint bad either.

I hate to say it, but he is earning that Colangelo contract. (not that overpaying is a good move, but if it helped Davis to be the player he is, there may be a saving grace in that argument)

always been a fan of amir.. hustle is unmatched on our team and he is a great finisher around the rim.. guy makes the most ridiculous ugly how-did-u-do-that shots around the rim but they always go in.. love his passion and hustle and big time plays

I've always been a fan of Amir, and although he's not cheap, I have never thought that he's on a bad contract. 6 mill this year 6.5mill 2013-2014, and 7 mill 2014-2015, is a pretty reasonable price for a guy who does a great job as first big off the bench but can also be a capable starter when needed at either the 4 or 5 spot. I do think that Coangelo gave Amir the contract with the belief that he would reduce his foul issues (which he has) and marginally approve his game (which he also has).

Will Amir give us 15 & 10 consistently? Of course not, but he's a solid player with a good motor the versatility to play either PF or C, is okay with coming off the bench, but can start if needed. Also is one of our most consistent players.

"We only have one rule on this team. What is that rule? E.L.E. That's right's, E.L.E, and what does E.L.E. stand for? EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY. Right there up on the wall, because this isn't just a basketball team, this is a lifestyle. ~ Jackie Moon

I've always been a fan of Amir, and although he's not cheap, I have never thought that he's on a bad contract. 6 mill this year 6.5mill 2013-2014, and 7 mill 2014-2015, is a pretty reasonable price for a guy who does a great job as first big off the bench but can also be a capable starter when needed at either the 4 or 5 spot. I do think that Coangelo gave Amir the contract with the belief that he would reduce his foul issues (which he has) and marginally approve his game (which he also has).

Will Amir give us 15 & 10 consistently? Of course not, but he's a solid player with a good motor the versatility to play either PF or C, is okay with coming off the bench, but can start if needed. Also is one of our most consistent players.

Of course, that's just one person's opinion

excellent assessment.. he is no more or less than what he his but god damnit he is great at the few things he does well and there is no other raptor that cares about a second, minute, quarter, or game as much as he does

I don't think Amir Johnson is underrated.. at least not by most Raptor fans. I think he's rated just fine. His contract was really only an issue when it was first described in the media, but when it was dissected later people came to an understanding that it was a decent one. He plays center and doesn't whine about it. He'll come off the bench if you ask him to.

The only issue I have is that AJ is wildly inconsistent but he's not an all-star and will never be one. He is my favourite Raptor and would be upset if he was traded but it wouldn't be the end of the world either. You could win a championship with him on your team and you couldn't say that about just anybody.

A better JYD sounds about right. Amir's a solid 3rd big on any team. I do think underrated is a bit of an exaggeration. Raps fans love him, and now he's pretty much established himself in the league. It was understandable a bit when people were like "you gave what contract for Amir?" but really it's pretty much right on in terms of value, and now people see that.

A better JYD sounds about right. Amir's a solid 3rd big on any team. I do think underrated is a bit of an exaggeration. Raps fans love him, and now he's pretty much established himself in the league. It was understandable a bit when people were like "you gave what contract for Amir?" but really it's pretty much right on in terms of value, and now people see that.

I think the bolded part is key. We gotta keep our expectations in check. Amir will never (nor should he be) our starting PF. But he's the perfect guy to come in off the bench and play 20-25 mins at either PF or C. Every team needs a guy like Amir.

ive said it before, but when amir is good he's really good and when he's bad he's practically invisible. my thing with him has always been consistency and he's definitely been more consistent of late. he was amazing last night.

Agreed, but, the most underrated part of him, is his impact on the defensive end. Our best defensive player overall, whether trying to guard on-ball, in post, help side... He does everything.

Really is a defensive anchor, but sometimes too many ticky-tack, and isn't the smartest NBA player.

That's spot on and until you used the words defensive anchor to describe him I would have never thought of it, but Amir is certainly that for our team. Only thing about Amir is his energy and focus seems to fluctuate game by game so you never know what you're going to get from him.

Amir is a good third big who can start if needed, I don't think he's underrated. One of the best things he brings is very athletic defense, When teams go small his foot speed is good enough to do a passable job on some threes and he always hustles. Long term him, Ed, and Jonas are going to be a good, very athletic front court.

"When Life gives you lemons, you clone those Lemons to make super lemons!"
-Scudworth

I also don't like it when people say he's got a bad contract. he's given this team 3-4x the production of Kleiza for less than double the amount every year. IMO Kleiza's contract is worse than Amir's, Jose's, or even Barg's in terms of what we paid versus what we got. I just think that because Kleiza makes the least of the 3, nobody really says to much about it. BUT he's a BUM!!! who never really showed why we paid him what we did. (Full disclaimer, I was okay what the Kleiza signing at the time, and it's not entirely his fault [or coangelo's] that he was injured for the amount of time that he was, but STILL HE'S A BUM!!!) Okay rant over.

"We only have one rule on this team. What is that rule? E.L.E. That's right's, E.L.E, and what does E.L.E. stand for? EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY. Right there up on the wall, because this isn't just a basketball team, this is a lifestyle. ~ Jackie Moon

That's spot on and until you used the words defensive anchor to describe him I would have never thought of it, but Amir is certainly that for our team. Only thing about Amir is his energy and focus seems to fluctuate game by game so you never know what you're going to get from him.

I don't think Amir Johnson is underrated.. at least not by most Raptor fans. I think he's rated just fine. His contract was really only an issue when it was first described in the media, but when it was dissected later people came to an understanding that it was a decent one. He plays center and doesn't whine about it. He'll come off the bench if you ask him to.

The only issue I have is that AJ is wildly inconsistent but he's not an all-star and will never be one. He is my favourite Raptor and would be upset if he was traded but it wouldn't be the end of the world either. You could win a championship with him on your team and you couldn't say that about just anybody.

100% agree

His contract is fine. The problem with Amir has always been that he can't stay on the court long enough because of foul trouble. I think the other night was like the 5th time he's played 40 minutes.

He's young, and he's getting better. But we lean on him heavily enough without relying on him too much that we all know what he is worth.

The real question is, do we even have an MVP of this season? Is there any player you could take out of this line up and have us plummet in the standings?